Seven Sweet Seconds
by Sukito
Summary: After a car crash, circumstances force Seto Kaiba to move in with Jounouchi Katsuya. Lost, confused and for the first time not knowing what to do, can Seto find help in the one person he never thought he'd turn to?


**Story:** Seven Sweet Signs

**Author: **Sukito

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

* * *

It was raining, again. These days seemed to be filled with nothing but gray clouds and dismal drops of water from the sky. A perfect time. An absolutely perfect setting for all the bad luck which was pouring down practically everyone's shoulders. Not one person seemed to have been spared from the black cloud of demise.

A curse. That's it. A curse seems to have fallen from heavens on Domino City.

"Keep it under the umbrella Jou, if it gets wet, it might die." Said Anzu for the umpteenth time to the distracted teen.

"That's easy for you to say! Try holding an umbrella on one hand and a mad cat in the other why don't you?" came the reply.

"I told you not to bring it with us. What sort of a self respecting person brings a _cat_ into a nightclub? And I still can't believe that they let you in." said Anzu, wiping the stray raindrop from her face.

"Well, what was I supposed to do? Leave him back home. _All alone!_"

"Yes! You almost lost us the contract, Jou."

"Hey! It's not my fault the cat decided that that old man's face was a scratching post!"

"Forget it!" said Anzu, giving up. If it was one thing that she had understood about Jounouchi after spending all these years together, then that was that you could have no mature conversation with him where his cat was concerned.

"Hey! Don't squirm that much!" said Jou, trying to hold the cat properly, but being unable to do so because of the umbrella. "Watch it you!" said Jou as the cat scratched his arm and jumped down on the pavement.

"Agh! Jou!" said Anzu, feeling agitated.

"C'mon Anzu, it was an accident! I'll just get him, it won't even take a minute!"

"Fine, but hurry up with it will you? The others'll be waiting for us."

"Sure thing." said Jou, and after giving her a wink, sped down the street after his cat.

Anzu couldn't help but hold back a smile as she watched her friend run after his cat. He was just the same, well, almost the same anyway.

Sighing, she looked at the other side of the street and noticed a black car coming around the corner.

Looking back to where her friend last was, she could no longer see him there. It seems that the cat had decided to take a little stroll to the center of the street, and Jounouchi had decided to follow it there.

Taking no particular notice of the situation, Anzu looked back to the black car, and saw that it was driving dangerously fast down the street where she stood.

It was then that she started to feel uncomfortable.

"Jou! There's a car coming! Hurry up!" she shouted to her friend, but to her dismay, he could not hear her over the sound of the rain, he was too far off.

She turned back to the car and hoped that the car would see them and stop in time, but that was only a hope. Not even she was stupid enough to believe her own thoughts. The car was quite obviously being driven by a drunk man who she doubted would noticeher friend in the middle of the street.

Not pausing to think, Anzu ran down the street as fast as her legs would carry her, all the time hoping that the car would stop or her friend would hear her screams.

"Finally!" said Jounouchi, " Well you won't be sleeping on my bed tonight, Rat."

Jounouchi finally stood up, holding a squirming cat tightly in his arms, and looked to where the shouts of his name were coming from, and saw Anzu rushing madly towards him, pointing to something.

Lights, car headlights, that was what blinded him as the car crashed straight into him and a scream of fear from Anzu pierced through the night.

"Jou!" shouted Anzu, tears streaming down her face as she ran towards her friend. The black car had stopped right after crashing into Jounouchi, the cat was still in its master's hands, safe and unharmed.

"Jou." Said Anzu as she leant down next to her friend and instinctively checked for his pulse. Relieved at finding a slight pulse, she looked in her purse to find her cell phone, but couldn't find it anywhere.

'Shit! I must've left it at the club.' Thought Anzu as she turned her barely alive friend around and brought out his bag from underneath him.

'No luck here either.' Thought Anzu, not knowing what else to do.

"Okay, stay calm girl. This'll be okay." Said Anzu, trying to calm her self down.

'Of course! The car!' she said as she stood up.

Looking inside the car, she found someone with his head on the steering wheel, blood dripping down his hands and three bottles of alcohol on the seat next to him, all finished.

Grabbing the man and tilting him back, she gave a small gasp, "Kaiba?"

'Oh shit! Stay calm girl. Look for his cell phone.' If anything, she felt a little reassured at the driver being Kaiba, surely he wouldn't go out into the streets without a cell phone?

"Got it!" said Anzu as she pulled what she had been looking for out of his back pocket and called for an ambulance.

The cat, gave a small sound as a sobbing Anzu went and picked it up, and placed it in the car. She then went to her friend, and slowly, almost painfully, brought him inside the car.

Seto Kaiba's cell phone was broken. She could not call for an ambulance. She had only one option left. Move Seto Kaiba from his seat, and drive both the injured men into the nearest hospital she could find.

"I just hope it isn't too late." She said, still sobbing.

* * *

Amber eyes slowly opened as he vaguely heard someone calling his name. Dazed and confused at seeing only white, he suddenly sat upright on his bed and instantly wished that he hadn't.

'Ouch! I feel like I've been hit by a ton of bricks!' he thought to himself as he scanned the room again.

Things seemed clearer to him now, he was obviously in a hospital room and the expanse of white which had previously startled him had been the ceiling.

"Jou?" came a voice from somewhere beside him, but he could not move his neck without feeling a blinding sensation of pain. So, he chose to stay still and answer, "Yeah?"

"Jou? You okay?" came the voice again.

He knew that voice, but, who is it?

"I'm fine." He felt like he hadn't talked in ages, and suddenly, he felt like he would die for just a glass of water.

"Water."

"Of course." Said the voice.

"You had us very worried, you know."

"What happened?" asked Joey, "And would you mind standing in front of me, I'm having problems moving my neck around."

"Okay." Said the man as he came to stand in front of Jounouchi.

"Ryou? Is that you?"

"Yeah. I rushed back as soon as I heard what had happened." Said Ryou

"So you know what happened?" asked Jounouchi

"Yeah. You mean you don't remember?"

"Well, the last thing I remember is seeing a light." Said Jounouchi

"Jou?" came another, different but extremely familiar voice.

"Anzu? Come in front of me, would you? Man. This neck is such pain!"

"Are you okay?" said Anzu, not looking into her friend's eyes.

"Yeah. Why? Is something wrong?"

"I'm sorry." Said Anzu.

"It's okay." Said Jounouchi, his eyes softening, "Where's Rat?"

"Agh! Jou!" said Anzu

"Was it something I said?" he asked watching Anzu slap her palm against her forehead

"I still can't believe you named your cat, 'Rat'." Said Ryou, laughing as he watched Jounouchi pat his cat's head.

"Where's Yugi? He's not going to come or something?" asked Jounouchi

"He said he had something to do and that he'd get here as soon as he's done." Said Anzu

"And Honda?"

"He's at the same place." said Ryou.

"What are with the secrets you guys? Did I offend someone or something? As far as I remember, I have done _nothing_ at all to deserve the don't-tell-him-anything treatment." Said Jounouchi, slightly pouting.

"Be patient Jou, you'll find out eventually." Said Ryou

"You know what, Ryou?" asked Jounouchi

"What?" came the reply

"You remind me of Anzu…"

"Jou!" said Anzu as she whacked Jounouchi on the side of the head

"Hey! That part's sensitive you know." Said Jounouchi, lightly touching his aching skull.

Yep, it was sure great to have her friend back.

* * *

"I still don't understand." Said Jounouchi, the frown never leaving his face as he continued to have his glaring match with Seto Kaiba.

"I'm sorry Jou, but this is really necessary! He has nowhere else to go. And we have to help him!" said Yugi, eyes pleading.

"Why doesn't he have anywhere else to go again?" inquired Jounouchi

"For the last time Jou, a distant relation of Gozaburo Kaiba has returned and taken over Kaiba Corp." said an agitated Anzu

"Bleh! Even I'm not stupid enough to believe that!"

"At least he admits he's stupid." Said Seto, smirking.

"That did it, get the hell out of my house moneybags!" said Jounouchi through gritted teeth.

"Gladly." Said Seto Kaiba as he stood up and made way to leave, only to be pushed back into his seat by Honda.

"Sorry buddy, but you aren't going anywhere. We already know the situation and we aren't about to let you go on a suicide trip. Oh yeah! Don't think we're doing this specifically for you, we would've done it for anyone who was in your situation. So now, just shut up and let _us_ do the talking, will you, Kaiba?" said Honda, collapsing on the seat across from the one where Kaiba was sitting.

"Calm down Honda." Said Ryou, frowning.

"Sorry man, but I've been at it for the whole day. Guess, I'm just getting tired. Be a help, will you Jou, man?" pleaded Honda.

"No."

"Just for the night? We'll work this out first thing tomorrow morning, okay?" said Yugi, eyes practically closed.

Jounouchi's eyes softened at the sight of his friends' desperation, "Fine. Just the night."

* * *

"What are you looking at, richboy?" asked Jounouchi. His friends had just left for their own homes, leaving the two old enemies with each other.

"Let me assure you, there are far better things to look at even in this cheap apartment of yours other then your face." Said Seto as he stood up from where he was sitting, and caught Jounouchi's hand before it made contact with his face, "Violence. Of course what more could be expected from a cheap dog like you."

"Be careful Kaiba, this is my house you're staying in. One word out of place and I'm going to call the cops." Seto's hand tightened around Jounouchi's hand as the blonde made an attempt to kick the taller man, which of course, Seto deftly avoided.

"Tch! Why do you even bother trying to hit me?" said Seto

"Just shut up. I'm going to bed now." Said Jounouchi as he pulled his hand free from Seto's grasp, "By the way, I've reserved the couch for you."

Seto heard the door slam as he sat down on the couch again, and before he knew it, he was asleep. He knew he was going to have a sore back the next morning thanks to the lumpy couch, but that was one thing that would have to wait. Right now, all he needed was some sleep.

* * *

"No!" said Jounouchi for the umpteenth time, not looking at his friends.

"C'mon, we've already told you the reason why he has to stay with you!" pleaded Honda.

"I actually thought you guys were my friends!" said Jounouchi

"We are!" said Honda

"Then why are you trying to torture me by making me keep that rich excuse for a snob in _my_ apartment?" asked the blonde.

" We've already told you Jou, all the rest of us have our family staying with us! You just happen to be the only one who lives alone!" said Anzu

"Why can't he go back to his own mansion again?" asked Jounouchi

" Because it isn't his anymore! Gozaburo's distant relative has moved in and claimed everything as his!" said Honda

"Hah! You guys actually believe that! Well why did this guy suddenly decide to show up, huh? He could've come back a long time ago, but he didn't, so why should he come back now?" argued the man.

"That doesn't matter! What matters is that he's back now, and Kaiba has nowhere else to go!" said Honda

"Please Jou, just until he can find somewhere else to go? One week?" pleaded Yugi

"No."

"Look at it this way Jou, if Kaiba had a choice, he wouldn't really be here with us, now would he?" said Ryou

"I said no."

" Just one week Jou? Please?" said Yugi

"No!"

* * *

"Remember Kaiba, it's only one week. After that, you leave, and never come back." Said Jounouchi.

Seto Kaiba merely rolled his eyes at the blonde's display utter stupidity, "Don't tell me you actually think that I _want_ to be in the same kennel as you."

"Gah!" said Jounouchi, trying his best to refrain himself from lunging at the smirking man who was sitting right in front of him, "Why did I let Yugi talk me into this again?"

'Oh yeah! Anzu said that she'd kick me out of the band if I didn't listen… I'll get her, one of these days.' Thought Jounouchi

"Hey, what about Mokuba? Where's he?" asked Jounouchi suddenly, grabbing the other man's attention.

"You don't need to know."

"Hmph! Fine, be that way! And to think I was _actually _trying to be nice to you!"

"No one asked you to be nice to me."

"Gah! I'm going to get something to eat!" said Jounouchi as he entered the kitchen, slamming the door behind him, "Rat! Get off the table."

"You have rats here too, do you?" asked Seto, looking at the kitchen.

"Hey! Who asked you to follow me? And for your information, Rat is the name of my cat!" said Jounouchi, eyes forming glares.

"A cat named Rat. At least it's original…"

"Gah! You are dead!" said Jounouchi as he lunged at Seto Kaiba, hands in fists and smoke coming out of his ears.

* * *

**Sukito: Well, that was the first chapter. R & R.**


End file.
